Our Community Our Water

Formal opportunities for in-person and online engagement on Our Community, Our Water wrapped up in November 2019. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.

We’ve summarized your feedback in a report which we’ve shared with Council to help inform its decision about whether to pursue the proposed solution. Council will make their decision at the March 30, 2020 Council meeting.

In the meantime, if you have more questions you can email us anytime at ocow@guelph.ca.

Formal opportunities for in-person and online engagement on Our Community, Our Water wrapped up in November 2019. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.

We’ve summarized your feedback in a report which we’ve shared with Council to help inform its decision about whether to pursue the proposed solution. Council will make their decision at the March 30, 2020 Council meeting.

In the meantime, if you have more questions you can email us anytime at ocow@guelph.ca.

Where exactly is the quarry and how big is it?

The quarry property is around 98 hectares, or 242 acres. That's about one percent of Guelph's current land area (8,722 hectares or 21,553 acres), or an area equal to 183 football fields or about 646 hockey rinks. Only about two-thirds of the land area is suitable for development and finally permitted development will depend on environmental and other studies to be completed as part of the development planning process.

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Why can't this are be returned to its natural state? Why must developers rule every decision and planning made in city hall? Why do we just keep sprawling and sprawling? When is anyone going to actually question the value and consequences of endless growth?

Alberto
asked
7 months ago

It's important to understand that the land is and will continue to be owned by the owners of the quarry, even after it comes into Guelph's jurisdictional (municipal boundary). The City will get control of the water supply to ensure it's protected in the long-term. Instead of continuing to quarry the site, which has another 15-30 years of viable life, the owner will stop quarrying, and maintain the commercial viability of their property through a mixed-use residential development. The quarry owner will be responsible for the rehabilitation of the site prior to development too, and the development will include parkland and trails.

As for growth, the Province sets growth targets for Guelph (through the Places to Grow Act), and we're expected to grow to a population of 191,000 by 2041. Guelph has control of where and how we grow, so we'll be able to help shape what this residential development looks like should Council approve moving ahead with the proposed solution.

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Can you provide more details on the type of water management system used to mitigate possible negative effects from both the remediated quarry, and the housing development? Given the sensitive nature of the aquitard, is the City proposing some type of membrane or similar technology to capture / sequester harmful bacteria and contaminants? It seems likely that during construction of the new housing development there would be much greater risk of contamination and harm to the aquitard.

Steve.E.
asked
8 months ago

The final water management system the City uses will
be determined through a formal environmental assessment process. The City
is looking at a system that would keep groundwater flowing toward the
quarry to prevent surface water from entering the aquifer. The proposed
system would be similar to the current pumping system used for quarry dewatering. There
would be no risk to the aquitard from rehabilitation or residential
development. The plan is for the water management system to be built before any
development begins. The water management system would run continually and
protect our groundwater during residential construction.

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“Creating a new mixed-use residential neighbourhood that people can call home“
This area is already ‘home’ to many wild creatures. Why can’t it be left as a natural area to protect the species which already dwell there? We have to destroy everything in the name of development?

Dianne
asked
8 months ago

The residential development would be on the site of the quarry, an already disturbed landscape. The development would include parkland and trails, and early quarry closure would mean less disturbance to wildlife living in nearby natural areas. The quarry is otherwise expected to continue operating for another 15-30 years.

The residential development is also what the quarry owner gets in exchange for shutting the quarry down early. Both the City and the quarry owner have interests that need to be addressed; the proposed solution addresses both, and has the added benefit of addressing blasting concerns by people currently living next to the quarry. That blasting has effects on wildlife too.

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Is the Quarry going to take on any of the cost of remediation or is the City going to have to foot the bill for all the water problems created over the years? How can a business put the city's water in danger and just walk away from the project without having to pay the burden of water problems long term?

kaz
asked
8 months ago

The quarry operator was legally permitted and licensed to dig to depth of the aquitard. Once the City advised the quarry owners of our concerns about impacts to the aquitard, they stopped work in the area where the aquitard was reached.

Regardless, the quarry owner is responsible for all costs associated with remediation of the site which would be outlined in their closure plan.

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Giving the City control of the quarry’s water supply and building an on-site water management system, should this of been done years ago?

frank
asked
8 months ago

There's no immediate risk to our drinking water. The City's water quality concerns relate to the quarry’s eventual closure. After quarry operations stop and the quarry fills with water, any damage to the aquitard could allow surface water to mix with groundwater, passing on bacteria or other contaminants. Right now continued quarry operations include keeping water away from the breach so there is no mixing of surface water and groundwater.

Meanwhile, this is a complex issue. It has involved exploring a number of different solutions that would address long-term needs. Over the last five years of confidential mediation, the City and RVD made good progress by collecting more data on groundwater movement on and off the quarry site, studying other similar situations, working to come to a mutual understanding of each other’s concerns and needs and, more recently, developing the solution being explored now.

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Has the quarry already fully breached the aquifers and, if it has, what can be done to remediate the situation?

ARoloson
asked
8 months ago

In 2008, City staff discovered that
legal and permitted quarrying activities at Dolime had removed part of the
aquitard – the layer of rock that protects our drinking water supply. Once aware of the City's concerns around
water quality as a result of the breach, and despite not agreeing
with our concerns, the quarry owner agreed to the City’s request to cease further quarrying in that
area and of the aquitard overall.

The City's water quality concerns relate to the
quarry’s eventual closure. After quarry operations stop and the quarry fills
with water, any damage to the aquitard could allow surface water to mix with
groundwater, passing on bacteria or other contaminants. Right now continued quarry operations include keeping water away from the breach so there is no mixing of surface water and groundwater.

The
solution we’re exploring aims to manage the long-term risk, after the quarry closes. Once the land becomes part of Guelph, the City would take control of the water supply and build a system to prevent surface water mixing with groundwater.

It's also interesting to note that the license under which the quarrying of the aquitard occurred was granted in the 1990s before there was a good understanding of the location of the aquitard in this area.

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If we're a groundwater community why do we keep growing? Shouldn't we just stop?!?

louise1982
asked
8 months ago

Managing growth and change, while making
the city a better place to live, is important to all who live and work in
Guelph. Just as we plan our lives, we must look ahead to understand what we
want in our community and how to achieve it.

Guelph is part of one
of the fastest growing regions in Ontario and we’ve seen considerable growth in
our community over the last decade. Growth
in Guelph is mandated through Ontario’s Places to Grow strategy. How
we grow is partly up to the City. That’s where Guelph’s water
supply master plan
comes in. Through Guelph’s water supply master plan, we identify and prioritize
where we’ll source water for our growing community.

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If this quarry closes, won’t another one just open somewhere else?

louise1982
asked
8 months ago

That’s not up to us. We understand the
growing demand for aggregate in Ontario and the value that aggregates provide—aggregates
build houses and roads which we all need. We also want what’s best for the
future of our community and in this case that’s protecting our drinking water
supply.

Is there enough water for another residential development?

louise1982
asked
8 months ago

If the proposal
proceeds, and we get through all the required planning steps, there would be a
public planning process to determine what the new development would look like.
Once that is complete, the City would be able to calculate expected water use
for the new development based on the number of people we expect to live there,
and this information would be integrated into the City’s water
supply master plan.
Ultimately, we expect that a new residential development would use less water
than the quarry currently uses, and the City’s drinking water concerns will
also have been addressed.

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Why has it taken so long to fix this?

Water Warrior
asked
8 months ago

This issue is complex. It involves
exploring solutions that address long-term needs. We’ve had to do some
scientific and technical studies, and evaluate a number of complicated
solutions. That takes time.

Over the past few years, the City and the
quarry owner (River Valley Developments) have made good progress by collecting
data on groundwater movement on and off the quarry site, studying other similar
situations, working to come to a mutual understanding of each other’s concerns
and needs, and developing the proposed solution we’re sharing now.

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If our water is at risk why has the quarry been allowed to keep operating?

Water Warrior
asked
8 months ago

The Dolime Quarry has been and is operated
lawfully as per their permits and licences. And, once aware of our concerns
around water quality in one particular area of the quarry, the quarry owner
agreed to the City’s request to pause work in that area. We’re encouraged by
the owner’s desire for a fair, transparent solution.

Our
water quality concerns relate to the quarry’s eventual closure. After quarry
operations stop and the quarry fills with water, any damage to the aquitard—the
layer of dense rock that acts as a barrier to protect our groundwater—could
allow surface water to mix with groundwater, passing on bacteria or other
contaminants. We want to make sure this never happens. The solution we’re
exploring aims to manage this long-term risk.

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Is our drinking water safe?

Water Warrior
asked
8 months ago

Yes, Guelph’s tap water is safe. We have
always put the safety and security of our drinking water supply above all else.
Guelph’s high-quality groundwater, which provides our clean, safe drinking
water, is a major reason why people want to live here.

Our tap water meets or does better than all
of Ontario's drinking water standards which are among the strictest in the
world. All of our water quality tests are performed by labs that are accredited
by the Province of Ontario and the Canadian Association for Laboratory
Accreditation.

Are plans for the proposed development available?

kmillsbishop
asked
8 months ago

We’re working with the quarry owner to get
a high-level view of what they have planned for the site. We know they would
like to build a mix of low- to higher-density housing and plan to include
parkland and trails, including connections to existing Guelph trails.

Detailed plans would not be available until
we get closer to residential development planning approvals which all depends
on City Council approving moving ahead with the proposed solution and the City
getting all the necessary approvals.

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If we are being asked as taxpayers to pay for remediation costs, then the city should inform us of what legal rights the quarry operator had, courtesy of their MNRF license, to quarry as far and deep as they did. If it was all legal, tell us so, and perhaps we can be convinced to fund a restoration. Or not. So, for the Oct.29 open house, my expectation is that there will be fulsome detail on what the MNRF license entitled the quarry operator to do, and not do. Will this be available and presented?

wmungall
asked
8 months ago

The quarry
operator was legally permitted and licensed to dig to depth of the aquitard.
Once the City advised the quarry owners of our concerns about impacts to the aquitard, they stopped work in the area where the aquitard was reached.

Regardless,
the quarry owner is responsible for all costs associated with remediation of
the site which would be outlined in a closure plan.